I really enjoyed watching this! I grew up in Buena Park, California. Most people know this area, or city, because of Knott's Berry Farm, and also, Disneyland. When I was younger, to me, it was small. We all went to the same elementary school, Jr. High and High School. Everyone I knew lived within walking distance of my house. We could walk to their house, Taco Bell, go get Thrifty's Ice Cream, and take off to someone else's house all in the same day! On the corner of the street that I grew up on, there was a little mom and pop grocery store. We could go get milk, eggs, and homemade tortillas! After a while, it changed owners, and became a liquor store. The liquor store is still there to this day!
We also had a city carnival every year in October, called Silverado Days. It started with the carnival on Thursday afternoon and evening, Friday afternoon and evening, then Saturday morning was a pancake breakfast, and parade. Then we'd spend the whole day Saturday at the carnival that was set up in a local park. Friday and Saturday nights, that's where we'd meet our friends to hang out. It didn't matter if we had money for the rides or not. It was the hanging out part that was the most fun. Our parents always knew that we were a block up the road, at the park, during the carnival.
Enough about my life, The Hill has that small, hometown feel. People pass their houses onto their children and their children's children. People who have sold their homes and moved out, are finding that younger Italians are purchasing their homes and moving back into the area to raise their families there. You can literally walk to a local store, restaurant, movie theater, ball park, etc. Most everything you need is a mom and pop store, and usually, within walking distance of their homes. Man, how awesome it would be to live in a small town, know your neighbors, have your neighbors help look out for one another, and just have that small town feel. I miss that.
America's Last Little Italy: The Hill Continues to Inspire Via PBS and Amazon
Documentary about St. Louis’ Italian-American neighborhood makes a solid case for being “America’s Last Little Italy”
America's Last Little Italy: The Hill, the award-winning documentary about St. Louis’ venerable Italian neighborhood continues to introduce viewers across the country to the world of The Hill.
The film debuted this past summer as part of the St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase where it was an unprecedented success, breaking ticket sales and viewer records. The documentary tells the story of The Hill, the St. Louis Italian-American neighborhood founded by Italian immigrants in the late 1800s. Much larger than other Little Italys, The Hill encompasses some 52 square-blocks. While the most popular Little Italys across America have lost their ethnic identity, The Hill remains an actual Italian neighborhood, not just one street of tourist attraction restaurants and shops.
“In calling the documentary, America's Last Little Italy: The Hill, we prepared for some push back - but time and time again, people were thrilled to learn that a neighborhood like The Hill still exists,” said director/producer Joseph Puleo. "We have a feeling that when people actually sit down and watch the film, in the end, they will agree. The Hill truly is America's Last Little Italy."
During the festival run, the film was watched by people in many different Italian communities - including New York, New Haven, Chicago, and Little Rock. “Many commented how they couldn't wait for Covid to be over so they could come and visit The Hill in St. Louis and see what it’s all about,” explains Puleo.
Since its premiere, America's Last Little Italy: The Hill has garnered numerous awards, including the Audience Award for Best Documentary at the St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase, Best Documentary at the Venus Italian International Film Festival, and Best Documentary at the Little Rock Italian Film Festival. The film was also an Official Selection at the New Haven Documentary Film Festival and featured at the St. Louis International Film Festival. The film’s positive critical acclaim includes Hall of Fame broadcaster Bob Costas who said the film was "captured with a clear eye and abundant heart." Additionally, the film continues to generate tremendous buzz not only regionally, but across the country and through social media.
America's Last Little Italy: The Hill followed up its festival run with a November 30th TV premiere on Nine Network PBS. The film, featured as part of the station’s December Membership Drive, was their most-watched and subsequently most successful program. While Puleo considers interest from other PBS markets, his documentary is currently available on DVD, where it has already achieved sales of 3,500+ and is streaming for rent or purchase via Amazon Prime Video.
